According to the U.S. Coast Guard, more than 90% of deaths associated with boating are from drowning accidents, wherein 80% of those drowning victims failed to wear a personal floatation device. A personal floatation device is specifically designed to maintain a wearer's head above water in a position that permits proper breathing. Although many states possess laws that prohibit the operation of vessels on waters without a personal flotation device on board for each person on the vessel, many boaters typically fail to obey state law for a variety of reasons. One such reason often resides in the inaccessibility of a personal floatation device, and more so, the inaccessibility of a personal floatation device for each person on board the water vessel.
Specifically, many boaters typically fail to equip their vessel with the appropriate number of personal floatation devices. Furthermore, the personal floatation devices that the boaters may have on board, are usually strewn about the deck of the boat, or placed into a corner for an excessive period of time, thus consuming otherwise useable deck surface area, and subjecting the personal floatation devices to undesirable conditions that have a destructive impact upon the structural, and therefore, functional, integrity of the personal floatation devices.
As such, to ensure proper future functional operation of a personal floatation device, wet personal floatation devices must always be permitted to thoroughly air-dry prior to storage, and/or must be maintained within a substantially moisture-free environment during periods of non-use. Therefore, the continued subjection of a personal floatation device, during its dormancy, to a wet or watery boat deck, or an oily, greasy, dirt-ridden corner, has the obvious effect of hindering the drying thereof, resulting in the development of mildew, rot, leaks, reduced strap strength, and/or the hardening of internal filling, thus causing the personal floatation device to deteriorate and lose buoyancy. Moreover, the effective buoyancy of a personal floatation device can further be substantially reduced when subjected to excessive compression via the placement of heavily weighted items and/or the repetitive stepping thereon, causing the internal filling to crush.
Although mesh net-type storage hammocks are available to contain personal floatation devices aboard a vessel in an elevated position, such devices possess inherent disadvantages that make their use highly impractical, inefficient and problematic. Specifically, such devices are typically too cumbersome for efficient and effective installation and/or use, wherein the net-like fabric thereof often becomes entangled with the securing straps of the personal floatation devices, thus hindering expeditious removal of personal floatation devices therefrom in emergency situations.
Therefore, it is readily apparent that there is a need for an apparatus and method for storing and accessing personal floatation devices and/or other articles, wherein the device provides for the elevated storage of personal floatation devices and/or other articles aboard an aquatic vessel, thus increasing useable deck surface area, and sustaining structural and functional stability of the personal floatation devices by reducing their length of exposure to harsh and/or unfavorable environments.